Rainbase was an open city with lax inspections to begin with, and with Nico Robin personally leading the way, Bane and the others encountered no trouble at all as they strolled right into the oasis.
The entire city of Rainbase had practically been built around the grand casino known as Rain Dinners. As such, Rain Dinners was the heart of the city and its most prosperous district.
Riding camels through the bustling streets, Bane and his group soon arrived at the entrance to Rain Dinners.
Naturally, the security personnel recognized Nico Robin, the second-in-command. Seeing that these were guests she had brought, they did not dare question them and respectfully ushered Bane's group inside.
The instant he entered Rain Dinners, Bane felt its luxury and fervor. Even in broad daylight, countless gamblers had already gathered inside.
However, unlike the paupers in gang-run gambling dens from his impression, the people here were dressed in splendid finery. They were clearly all wealthy and important figures.
They threw money around without restraint. The Belly ordinary people could not earn in a year might be nothing more than the stakes of a single game in their hands.
"You can play a couple of rounds first. I'll go report your arrival to Crocodile," Nico Robin said casually.
"Alright," Bane replied just as casually.
Before long, Robin disappeared around the corner of the staircase, while Bane and the other two moved deeper into the casino.
Only after taking a proper look around did Bane realize that the first floor of the casino was actually fairly ordinary. There were regular guests playing slot machines or gathering around tables for card games. It was not entirely filled with upper-class tycoons.
"Coming out to see the world was the right choice. You never heard of places like this in the East Blue," Zoro remarked.
"Maybe we just never had access to them. As the World Government's model region, the East Blue is prosperous and stable, with more great nobles than any of the Four Seas. There must be places of extreme luxury there too," Nami argued after thinking it over.
Just as the two of them were debating whether the East Blue had places like this, they suddenly noticed that Bane had stopped moving.
"What's wrong?" Zoro followed Bane's gaze and saw a card table nearby, where a group of gamblers were playing cards and betting on dice. Nothing seemed special about it.
Yet an excited smile spread across Bane's face. "What a coincidence. I was just thinking about finding a powerful companion and wondering how to get to Sky Island, and then I ran into one!"
Bane's eyes were practically glowing. Why? Because he had discovered a wild SSR!
At the dice table directly in front of him sat a figure facing his way. The man looked tall and broad, and even sitting down, he was two or three times larger than the people around him.
He wore a purple Wano Country outfit, hunched over with his head lowered toward the table. His ears were nearly pressed against the dice cup, his face full of anticipation and excitement, while one hand gripped a sword cane.
A closer look revealed a cross-shaped scar over his eyes. He was blind!
Marine Admiral Fujitora Issho!
No, right now, he should only be called "Issho." He was neither a Marine Admiral nor had he acquired the codename Fujitora!
At present, he was merely an ordinary man named Issho. He could be considered an unaffiliated expert—or, perhaps more accurately, a gambling addict.
In the Marines' eyes, Bane was actually the same, one of those "unaffiliated experts."
I heard that if you wander around major casinos often enough, you might run into Issho before he makes a name for himself. Looks like it's true after all, Bane marveled inwardly, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.
When Issho gambled, he did not use Observation Haki. Even though his Observation Haki was powerful enough to directly lock onto meteors in the sky.
Still, even without activating Observation Haki, as a blind man, his other senses were indeed sharper. Just like now, he noticed someone staring intensely at him.
As a wandering gambler, Issho did not find that heated gaze particularly puzzling.
After all, his luck had been excellent today. He had won twelve rounds in a row, and the table before him was piled high with chips. In a luxurious casino like this, there were always hot girls who specifically targeted rich men like them.
With his extensive experience, Issho immediately figured that another hot girl had set her sights on him!
But the next second, the dice cup was opened, and after winning twelve consecutive rounds, he lost every last chip on the spot.
This was also Issho's trademark betting style. He was not here to win money. He genuinely enjoyed the thrill of gambling and the uncertainty of victory and defeat.
Thus, whenever the chips in his hands accumulated to a certain amount, if he continued playing, he would almost always bet all of them at once.
If he won, he kept playing until he lost. Once his chips were gone, he would not feel upset. He could just come back another day when he had money.
Having lost all his chips, Issho showed no sign of sorrow. Instead, he relaxed against the soft back of his chair. If he had any regret, it was that there probably would not be any hot girls tonight.
Just as he was thinking about that, he suddenly realized that the heated gaze had not shifted away from him!
This truly left Issho somewhat confused. He frowned slightly, then activated a faint trace of Observation Haki to see what was going on with the other person.
I've already lost everything. Why are you still staring at me so eagerly?
Then, when Issho's Observation Haki swept over Bane, his expression froze.
Within his Observation Haki, not far away stood a muscular, burly man over two meters tall. A scorching life force radiated from him, showing that he was extremely healthy and possessed exceptional physical qualities. But that was not the important part. The important part was that this man was staring at him with gleaming eyes and a creepy smile, as though he had discovered treasure!
Issho???
Though he was extremely confident in his own strength, at this moment, he somehow felt uneasy!
And just as unease filled him, he discovered that the burly man was walking toward him!
"Ahem." Issho hurriedly stood up, pretending he had noticed nothing as he prepared to leave the casino at a brisk pace.
This was his first time at Rain Dinners. If he had known that the famous Rain Dinners was such a filthy place, he would never have come even if it killed him!
But before he had taken more than a few steps, a shout came from behind him.
"Please wait, sir. Hold on, I—" Bane called out in a friendly tone, smiling as he greeted him.
He felt that this was already the friendliest tone he could manage.
Yet upon hearing that voice, Issho immediately sped up and rushed toward the exit.
Bane???
What was that about!?
I was a male lecturer who understood human nature. Three sentences, and I made a Marine Admiral spend 180,000—no, flee in panic?
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Bane came to his senses and quickly took two steps after him, reaching out to grab Issho.
But the moment he reached out, blind Issho slipped away as nimbly as a loach. At the same time, he stopped running, turned to face Bane with his sword cane in hand, and said, "My apologies. I appreciate your affection, but I am an old-fashioned man."
"Huh?" Bane was completely baffled by that. What did that mean?
At the same time, Nami and Zoro caught up. Nami came over and wrapped an arm around Bane's, pressing her chest against him as she panted, "Why did you suddenly run over here?"
Nami's action also left Issho puzzled. Huh? Are they a couple? Did I misunderstand?
But Bane did not respond to Nami at all. Instead, he said warmly to Issho, "My apologies. I may have startled you somewhat, but upon seeing you, I was overjoyed and could not restrain myself."
Hearing that tone, Issho grew somewhat confused as well. He frowned slightly and asked, "Have you heard my story?"
Issho had some renown among the common folk. He was called the Blind Swordsman, liked to uphold justice and strike at Pirates, and occasionally worked as a bounty hunter. So he assumed Bane had heard those stories about him.
"Uh..." Bane suddenly did not know how to respond. Then inspiration struck, and he said, "Of course. I've heard of the great name of Issho, the Casino Fat Sheep."
"Casino Fat Sheep!?" Issho froze for a moment, then, as though he had suffered an enormous insult, leaned on his sword cane and cursed, "Although I lose everything every time, that is because I enjoy the process! How could I possibly be a fat sheep with poor skills? Who gave me that nickname?"
"Tesoro!" Bane unhesitatingly dumped the blame on the Gild Tesoro.
Before you continue